The Gingerdead Man Review

Man, how fall can an actor fall? Think Cuba Gooding Jr. has fallen from grace? Nope. Consider the mighty fall that has landed Gary Busey in this role, and only major star of Gingerdead Man. Yes, I said it, Gingerdead Man not Gingerbread Man…so terrible, yet so good, right? We’ll see; another holiday horror film to add to our reviews for the month is now going to feature the first of two films revolving around the clever title. You thought Jack Frost was bad? Wait until you get a load of this, and of course starring none other than everyone’s favorite psycho, Gary EFFING BUSEY!

First things first, we’ll talk film grain. This might be above average in regards to straight to dvd fare, but it’s obviously a low budget film. With a name like that, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. However, the editing is not half bad, it really is above average in regards to the budget and style this film pushes. The music is genuinely creepy at times, and at other times it’s mis-qued. The film quality almost feels like it’s sincerely trying to go for serious horror, the way the story is laid out from beginning to the ultimate set up.

The second thing I noticed about this film is the transitional stages between background set up to serious development. Meaning, we started the film with a serious armed robbery, and then moved forward to a mediocre horror scope.

The gingerdead man is convoluted, and the effects are so laughable, it’s beyond repair. Seriously, some blood went down into some flour, and while a baker’s assistant started to bake a gingerbread man, an accidental electrical surge due to a fight between rivals, the bread comes alive! Voiced by Gary Busey, the gingerdead man comes alive, and it has a taste for blood!

Here's a trailer for The Gingerdead Man:



The Gingerdead Man is not a scary movie. This film is an interesting piece of horror comedy, but it plays itself off as serious. Unlike "Child's Play" and other films, this film starts with the comedy early on. It tries hard to be serious until the actual villain shows up to terrorize the characters.

The gore effects are kind of cool. I don't have much problems with the way they are presented. However, the actual gingerdead man is just too hilarious to take seriously. While Chucky and Freddy and even Jason seemed somewhat menacing, this little baked good has nothing really going for it, other than Gary Busey's psycho voice.

In the end, The Gingerdead Man sucks. It has some moments, but it honestly feels like I'm watching an old episode of "Goosebumps" from R.L Stine rather than a serious hardcore horror film. This plot is ridiculous, and the story unfolds too slow for comfort, and when the dust settles, it really is a movie about a killer cookie! Come on! I don't recommend The Gingerdead man, it's just not that good. However, in keeping with our holiday horror theme, this one is definitely worth pulling out during the holidays. It's good for a good laugh, but not necessarily a good, creepy, scare. This thing will become a cult classic as time goes on, it just hasn't hit that stride just yet.

This thing might not be the greatest of all the horror movie reviews this holiday, but it's still in the genre. That's the funny thing about holiday horror films, they seem to take a comedic turn more often than not. There are so few good movies that feature the hoidays, and well, here's another one. This film isn't necessarily a "christmas" or "holiday" horror movie, but it has the whole gingerbread notion that shows up during the holidays, so I threw it in the same genre. Wouldn't you? I have more fun with holiday horror movies coming through the pipe in the near future, so stick around.



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Santa Claws Review

We’re back yet again folks, another movie to satiate your hunger for Christmas themed scary films. We keep bringing to you what we believe are going to be interesting films, and while the reviews suck, it will at least give you an idea of what’s out there in regards to holiday horror films. This film from 1996 is an interesting piece of b-movie history, and while it looks like a porno, it has a bigger budget and a sense of etiquette that makes it a bit more interesting than the latter. For your approval, I submit the following holiday horror movie, Santa Claws.

Santa Claws opens up with a weird sex scene. It’s an older, fat man, with a younger pornstar looking actress. They are interrupted by a kid who decides to shoot them, for what appears to be no apparent reason; we are then shifted to the present, and we see some strange things. We see a news camera interviewing a smut producer about his horror and nudity magazine, and it’s not half bad. The rest of the film moves forward in an odd way, and we’re introduced to some random guy ho has just purchased a bust of his favorite actress. But the editing gets muddled and we move onto another piece of the puzzle.

This movie is b-level, even c-level at times, even though it is filmed on actual “film”. It doesn’t feel to be straight to dvd in the traditional sense, but it’s definitely not something that you’re going to rent for high production value. This film really is a terrible quality film. However, the story seems to put you in the proper order regarding holiday horrors. Holiday horror aside, this movie holds no merit outside of the small sub-genre.

The film boils down to an obsessed fan who is allowed to get really close to a b-movie actress. As he gets closer to her, he goes further and further insane and eventually the body count starts rising. Yep, that’s the basic outline of this film, and that’s about it. Oh and don't let the title fool you, it's not really about a killer santa...so too bad.

Santa Claws is probably the weakest of the films so far to this point. It’s not too far in the month, and I’ve got some nice surprises in store, but overall this film sucks. The only draw outside of the genre is that Canadian B-film actress Debbie Rachon is the main star. She looks a lot better than the film she’s in, but she’s been in a lot of b-movie films so I’m sure she enjoys it.

Some have stated that this film has an undertone to reality, as the main character talks about obsessive fans. But overall, I don’t really see that. This film feels, and I don’t mean this in a bad way, like a porno film. It just feels like there are going to be full sex scenes here, and when there aren’t you’re kind of disappointed.

I don’t recommend Santa Claws for any other time than the holidays. This is a piece of junk film, that really should never be on dvd, it should be on vhs. This is the kind of thing that makes a cult classic, but in today’s saturated horror market, it just doesn’t hold much weight. It’s not a scary film, it’s not really a good film, but it has some good laughs, gratuitous nudity and some nice gore effects to hold you over until the new year.



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Black Xmas Review

Another day, another Christmas horror film to watch and review. I’m actually already tired of the genre, as it seems so obvious that these things are lackluster by all measures. However, this 2006 remake was more than just a throwaway remake, they paid for some talent and they spent some time making the film and editing it to good measure. I know, these remakes have a tendency to put a damper on things, and if you’re one of those people that just hate remakes and won’t even see them, then this film is obviously not for you. However, for the more discerning of you that are just junkies here we go, another film to look at.

As with the previous incarnation of Black Christmas, this film is a rated R slasher fest. However, where the other film left you thinking and imagining things, this film not only sexes it up, it also makes sure you see gore for all it’s bloody glory. That’s where we start our first point, this film has gore with no apologies. From eyes being severed and pulled out, to blood gushing from the neck, to a candy cane well placed in the jugular, they do not hold back on your senses. You hear it, the choking, the coughing, and you see it, the red darkness of life slip out of these actors as if there is no tomorrow! Black Christmas is not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.

The film starts off relatively slow, and moves through a lot of different points to create an atmosphere much denser than the original film. My problems with the original film were addressed here. The pacing is sped up, but the characters lack that substance that makes you care about them. While I cared about the characters in the original film, this film didn’t really make me care for any of the sorority sisters.

If you get creeped out by old ladies, weird sounds, and gore. This one is not going to be for you. There is a sickening amount of attention given to such details as decapitation, bludgeoning, and at one point the serial killer eats an eyeball! Yep.

Is Black Xmas Scary? Yes.

This is the first film I’ve seen that not only plays with my fear of being invaded at my home, but the unyielding fear that someone is going to not only eat my eyeball, but is also going to cook my skin in cookie cutter form into angels. Yep, I’m scared.

Seriously, this is what horror films should always amount to. A good source for violence, horror, brutality, and of course sex. There’s so much in this film in such a short time, as if the film borrows from a lot of different genres. It even borrows from cannibal movies as the main character eats cookies made out of human skin.

The flashbacks lead to the current story, and the current story blends seamlessly through the transitional stages. That being said, this film looks great. It’s usage of red, yellow, green, and so many other colors really sparks an interest in the motif’s that are set by the director of photography. It’s little details like this that make this film a bit better than many other remakes on the same time line and dare I say genre format.

The camera angles are great in this film. You don’t just get voyeurism for the sake of voyeurism. You get nudity, and disgust, as well as point of view shots similar to the first one. There’s just so much done in this film to try a little more than the previous incarnation of this film. The clarity and focus mixed with the gore effects and the updated story make for a great time. While I don’t think this is the greatest of the holiday horror movies, I appreciate the way this one was constructed. Much like I enjoyed Rob Zombie’s Halloween remakes, I really dug the way this one tried to dive more into the greater story that could be created with the same style of characters. This is far more brutal both in focus and out of focus, and adds spice where it needs spice. Black Xmas is going to be in the upper tiers of your holiday horror collection, bank on it.



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Black Christmas Review

As we continue our look at holiday horror films we turn the clock back to 1974 when the original Christmas horror movie showed up on the scene. Black Christmas is a cult classic, and it even spawned a sequel in 2006 (which we’ll review as well). The movie has yet another simple premise, and a body count that is quite good.

Black Christmas revolves around a sorority house that is victimized by a serial killer. It starts off a bit slow, but the first person camera usage of the initial break in by our psycho brings about a suspense that you rarely see in horror moves today. I also appreciated the use of music, very subtle at times, and in many suspenseful points dead silence to build right to the good stuff.

The movie uses a very good editing technique and camera motion, that is not usually seen today. It paces itself quite nicely, and while there’s definitely gore it’s done in a kind of “arthouse” way. The artful usage of the camera swivel when the killings begin is definitely a good one. From the first fifteen minutes, you really get a sense for what you’re going to get, nothing too elaborate, just pure psychopath.

This film takes a little time to set up, even though we get the initial slayings. It also gives you a small amount of foreshadowing and shows you characters that could be the killer, but it doesn’t necessarily make it too obvious. While there are moments that you swear this thing is on rails, it surprises you with a fare amount of shock value. The traditional set up for a slasher film is not necessarily found here, with a good amount of time dedicated to setting up the third and fourth act. The final act hits hard, and it’s interesting to see how this thing develops, even though the budget wasn’t exactly very big.

Is Black Christmas a Scary Film ? : No.

While this film is a classic piece of horror history, it’s not too scary. Sure the first person camera views are creepy, to say the least, but overall it’s tame enough to keep you unscathed. The jump scene’s are telegraphed, so don’t worry.

Black Christmas has some great moments. It’s a memorable, cult classic of a horror film. It’s a horror film for horror film fans. It’s not the new age of horror with lots of bloodshed and torture for the sake of torture and gore. This film actually attempts to make a real “film” out of the premise, even if the plot is not exactly the thickest.

Some of the shots are out right creepy. I found that the pan away from close ups to reveal gore was a great technique. You see such a clever round about way of presenting the audience with so much, yet with so little, creating an atmosphere of horror that you aren’t seeing often.

The film pulls no punches, but when you start to peal away the layers of horror found in this film, you realize that it shouts 1970’s. While I appreciate the style and substance that this film brings, I felt like there was something more than could have been done. The ending kind of leaves you with a few questions, and that’s a shame. The film does such a good job setting up the final acts, that by the time you go through the motions and start to sympathize with the characters, the rug gets pulled out from under you.

Black Christmas is a good overall film and a classic horror film from the 1970’s. The remake is beyond brutal, but this one has enough class to leave you second guessing the sequences. We get a few good moments here, between crank calls, a psycho killer, and girls running around scared of what is around the corner, this film does a far better job than modern horror.

If you haven’t seen Black Christmas, or have just been lazy, this Christmas is the time to check it out. Black Christmas is a must own, watch, or rent for your Holiday of Horror. There’s a lot of great moments, and the film really captures the attitudes of college students in the 70’s and even throws in a great deal of drama to its characters. These characters, you care about, as the film progresses, and aren’t just throwaway pieces of meat, which is a rare thing in regards to horror film in general. Enjoy Black Christmas with your friends and dare I say family, before you’re left behind…no wait, you’ve already been left behind. 1974 hasn’t looked so good in a long time, but this one is a gem. Independent film makers should take note, this low budget horror flick has enough fun and horror to make it a standout for this and every season.



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Wind Chill Review

Here we go, with round two of our Holidays of Horror movie marathon, of sorts. However, I was somehow duped into getting this film. While the movie does occur around Christmas, it is no more a holiday movie than say the film "P2" which also happens to occur around the holidays. Instead of throwing this film out the window, I managed to watch it and enjoy the overall scenic attempt at horror.

Wind Chill is a simple horror movie with a lot of power, although somewhat limited to a road trip style movie. The plot revolves around two college students trying to get home for christmas. They are strangers, and the movie starts with a road trip, and lots of awkward moments in the car as they try to find out about each other. However, as the movie progresses our main heroine finds out that her driver is not just some random guy, but an admirer who's trying to get with her.

By the sounds of my overly simple premise, you're probably already sleeping. But hold on, there's more!

Emily Blunt, a fine actress, plays our main girl and she starts to unravel the fact that her driver is not a home town kid, and as she is trying to uncoil the mystery the two get involved in a car accident, causing the car to stall and strand the two in the woods. Fair enough, the movie seems to be moving forward, but alas, there's more!

The movie then progresses into two very poignant horror cliches. They rely on the fact that they are stranded, and the fact that while in the woods there is a recurring nightmare of sorts, not too unlike the premise of "Camp Slaughter". Terrible things happened in the woods, and now they are causing the situation of being stranded to becoming worse than ever!

The movie is filmed quite well, and it doesn't feel like a straight to dvd picture. It was originally released in limited capacity before landing on store shelves. Ashton Holmes. George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh all contributed to this film on a production level, so the quality of the scenery is right on par with a mainstream release. This is not straight to dvd fare, at least not in the way it is shot. The timing is a little off, but overall the film is quite creepy in the way it's lit and edited.

The idea of being stranded is scary, sure. However, this film doesn't really give you an arms length push towards caring for the characters. While many people will cite other films in regards to the way this drama plays out, it really has its own merits. It mixes the unraveling of a Japanese horror film (Ringu, Ju-On) with the scare tactic of their American remakes.

Is Wind Chill Scary? : No.

This film is not scary at all. The month is not all lost, but this was supposed to be an ace in the hole with the theme that I'm pushing this month. The movie really isn't that scary, it's more of a let down as the story unfolds. At times I felt like I was watching a mediocre episode of "The Outer Limits" or something along the same lines as "The Twilight Zone". I don't mind movies like that, but this one seemed to not know where it wanted to land.

Is it a ghost story, is it a slasher, is it an exploitation film? I don't really think that this film holds a lot of weight in regards to both horror and holiday horror. Sure, there are Christmas Carols in the backdrop, it's snowing, and the two young adults are trying to get home for the holidays, but this is not a holiday horror movie. So I guess I'm an idiot.

Back to the movie, this film really isn't all that great. I don't recommend Wind Chill for essential holiday viewing. The thrills aren't too elaborate, the jump scenes are predictable, and while I liked the film grain and the shots of isolation, I thought that this film was better in theory than execution.

Now, granted my review is sophomoric at best, that's why I'm including a trailer for you to see a bit more of the film. I think the trailer is way better than the hour and a half film that results.



Overall, Wind Chill might have an interesting box cover, a few good scare points, but it takes too long to set up, and once it is revealed what it is you're supposed to be afraid of, you're too tired and jaded to even care.



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Thankskilling Review

We start our journey through holiday horror with this film with a ridiculous name. The film is called, Thankskilling, and it’s all about the holidays. The opening of this film has two of the best things in horror movie lore that I love. Boobs and Gore, well it’s light on the gore, but it’s rad. You immediately get a topless woman running through the woods, and as soon as she is vulnerable, a foul mouth turkey chops her up with an axe! This is not your traditional scary movie!

The funny thing is about the movie, is the story that brought it to life. Apparently this film was funded with only 3500 dollars, and was made by two college students without major media roles or corporate hero’s joining in to throwdown some cash or ruin the project with what some might call “professionalism”.

In fact, the film feels like a television show that you might see in the late 90’s. The film quality and follow through is better than some of the straight to dvd and television movies that I’ve seen in the past. However, that’s not to say that this film is amazing, good, or anything like that. It has some good editing, and alright focus, but overall this film goes from good lighting/shots to terrible close ups. It swings back and forth, but it still seems somewhat better than say, “Axe Em” which was just horrendous. However, what “Axe Em” had was professional actor’s where this one seems to have “semi-pro” actors trying to make this somewhat watchable.

So what’s the plot? The plot is paper thin. A loud mouth, yes loud mouth, turkey is going around killing teenagers on Thanksgiving break. So if you mix say, Cabin Fever’s road trip like premise, with any slasher film out there, you’ve got Thankskilling.

Here's a quick trailer to give you enough action:



This movie is not really scary, it’s probably not meant to be, but it’s worth the novelty of “Holiday Horror” and should be seen as a traditional film to watch around this time of the year. There’s not much else to say about this film, this thing is poorly acted, but has enough of a cult quality to be seen at least once or twice.

Seriously, consider checking out Thankskilling for your holiday horror bash.



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